The case of Arkansas school districts attempting to establish Ten Commandments displays has officially come to an end.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, has permanently blocked several school districts within the state from being able to display the Ten Commandments in their classrooms. He sided with the plaintiffs who argued that it was a violation of the Establishment Clause, but this ruling only applies to the applicable school districts and is not a statewide ban. However, it’s hard to see a scenario where any other school would attempt this at the risk of ending up in a courtroom.
“Seven families of various religious and nonreligious backgrounds filed the original lawsuit last June against the Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Siloam Springs school districts. They argued that Act 573 of 2025, which requires public schools to ‘prominently’ display a ‘historical representation’ of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and libraries, was unconstitutional because it violated their First Amendment rights,” the Arkansas Advocate wrote. “The Conway and Lakeside school districts were later added as defendants in the case, and U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks previously granted preliminary injunctions in all six districts.”
“Act 573’s purpose is only to display a sacred, religious text in a prominent place in every public-school classroom. And the only reason to display a sacred, religious text in every classroom is to proselytize to children. The State has said the quiet part out loud,” he wrote in his decision.
Senior counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Heather Weaver, believes the ruling is a victory.
“Today’s decision ensures that our clients’ classrooms will remain spaces where all students, regardless of their faith, feel welcomed and can learn without worrying that they do not live up to the state’s preferred religious beliefs,” she said.
State Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office indicated that they will be appealing the decision after a review of the opinion.
Brooks had previously spoken out against the implementation of the displays after granting the preliminary injunction.
“Nothing could possibly justify hanging the Ten Commandments—with or without historical context—in a calculus, chemistry, French, or woodworking class, to name a few,” he said. “And the words ‘curriculum,’ ‘school board,’ ‘teacher,’ or ‘educate’ don’t appear anywhere in Act 573. Accordingly, there is no need to strain our minds to imagine a constitutional display mandated by Act 573. One doesn’t exist.”
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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